The Eldest Girls looked shocked at this outburst, and Viola was readying herself to let loose some fury on them too when Leah said: ‘I do.’

‘Huh?’ said Britta.

Leah looked down at her hands, at the weaving of her fingers. ‘I do know what’s going on,’ she said, such weight to her words. ‘I do know and I did, I mean… Oh, this is so hard, I’m so sorry.’ The girls’ eyes were heavy with sorrow. Their breath came in anxious hitches. ‘I mean, I think I always knew. I could see what was going on, but I couldn’t let myself see. I know this makes no sense, but you have to understand – it never happened to me, my father made sure of that, and I just couldn’t bear for it to be true, because I love this island so much. I just decided that it wasn’t true, that it was… I don’t know… impossible! And I made up all those excuses for myself, for why my friends were running away to the mainland, I built up this fortress of denial, but then my brother left because of it, and my father died, and I just couldn’t…’ Leah broke down. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she cried, ‘I’m just so, so sorry.’ The Eldest Girls gave vent to their tears then, the four of them falling into one another, hugging desperately.

Viola stood separate, observing this – the outsider again, the coycrock.

‘You told me you had no brothers or sisters,’ she said, something to break them apart, anything to discredit Leah. ‘You lied to me.’

Leah Cedars looked up from their embrace to smile dopily at Viola, as if this was apology enough. High on her confession, the teacher continued in earnest – Luke Signal should be brought to justice, she told the girls. They should stand up in chapel and speak the truth of what he’d done, get the congregation behind them. Then, they could start talking about everything else.

The girls dipped their chins; they backed away.

‘No,’ said Anna firmly. ‘No one will believe us. They’ll think like you did, that it’s all impossible.’

‘I’ll back you up,’ said Leah, ‘I’ll be a witness.’

The girls flickered glances at one another.

Viola said aloud what they were scared to. ‘And who will listen to you? Everyone on the island thinks you’re insane.’

The teacher sniffed proudly and turned to Viola, squaring her shoulders: ‘So, what would you suggest?’

That you fuck off and leave us alone.

‘We have our own means,’ she told Leah. ‘Our own methods.’

Leah held Viola’s gaze, as if checking the temperature of their exchange.

There was silence, into which the teacher gave a great, withering sigh, before saying: ‘And the photos?’

The girls’ heads lifted, guilty, as one – Viola’s too. Leah Cedars had seen the images?

‘What photos?’ said Jade-Marie too quickly.